Half-waveplateThorlabs

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Avantier produces microwaveplates with extremely small dimensions, as small as 0.35 mm × 0.35 mm, with a tolerance of ±0.05 mm and a thickness of about 0.19 mm. For more information on our manufacturing limits or to request custom specifications, please contact us.

Optical waveplates (also called wave plates or retarder plates) are transparent plates with a carefully chosen amount of birefringence. They are mostly used for manipulating the polarization state of light beams. A waveplate has a slow axis and a fast axis, both being perpendicular to the beam direction, and also to each other. The phase velocity of light is slightly higher for polarization along the fast axis. The designed value of optical retardance (difference in phase delay for the two polarization directions) is achieved only in a limited wavelength range (see below) and in a limited range of incidence angles.

Retardation plateformula

Shalom EO offers a variety of waveplates and retarders including true zero-order waveplates, zero-order waveplates, dual wavelength zero-order waveplates, low-order and achromatic waveplates and Fresnel rhombs. These waveplates are made from quartz or MgF2 crystals and are of excellent qualities with high damage threshold. Their structures can be varied for different requirements, e.g. to obtain epoxy cemented, air space or optically contacted designs. The retardation can be λ/4 or λ/2; both off-the-shelf and customized and mounted/coated modules are available.

Within a laser resonator, two quarter-wave plates around the gain medium are sometimes used for obtaining single-frequency operation (→ twisted-mode technique). Inserting a half-wave plate between a laser crystal and a resonator end mirror can help to reduce depolarization loss. The combination of a half-wave plate and a polarizer allows one to realize an output coupler with adjustable transmission.

Types ofretardation plate

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Half-waveplate

S-Waveplate converts linear polarization to radial or azimuthal polarization and circular polarization to an optical vortex.

Edmund Optics offers a variety of waveplates with crystalline or polymer materials, including multiple order, zero order, or achromatic waveplates. Polymer waveplates offer superior performance over a wider range of incidence angles. Multiple order waveplates are ideal for use with monochromatic light that deviates less than 1% of the waveplate’s design wavelength. Zero order retarders offer high performance over wider wavelength or temperature ranges. Achromatic waveplates offer the most constant performance over the widest wavelength or temperature ranges.

It is also possible to make achromatic waveplates, combining materials with different chromatic dispersion (e.g. quartz and MgF2), which can have a nearly constant retardance over a very wide spectral range (hundreds of nanometers). Also, there are dual-wavelength waveplates, which have well-defined retardance values at some discrete very different wavelengths. Such features are sometimes required in the context of nonlinear frequency conversion, such as frequency tripling.

Quarter waveplateformula

Many waveplates are made of quartz (crystalline SiO2), as this optical material exhibits a wide wavelength range with very high transparency, and can be prepared with high optical quality. Other possible materials (to be used e.g. in other wavelength regions) are calcite (CaCO3), magnesium fluoride (MgF2), sapphire (Al2O3), mica (a silicate material), and some birefringent polymers. The choice of material can depend on many requirements, e.g. concerning wavelength range, open aperture, absorption losses and high-power capability.

ALPHALAS offers unique tunable and standard phase retardation plates (waveplates). A single UVIR type quarter-wave or half-wave plate can be adjusted to the desired phase retardation for an arbitrary wavelength from 150 nm (vacuum-UV) to 6500 nm (far infrared) and the FIR type waveplate from 1 μm to 21 μm. The bandwidth is up-to 200 nm. They replace hundreds of ordinary phase retardation plates required to cover these ultrawide spectral ranges. The tunable waveplates are by design zero-order and can be used for polarization control of broad-spectrum laser sources like femtosecond lasers and OPOs.

Artifex Engineering offers a wide range of custom waveplates for many applications. Waveplates, also known as retardation plates, are birefringent optical elements. Our portfolio covers achromatic, low order, zero and true zero order and MID-IR waveplates. Mounts are available for our waveplates on request. For example, we can provide true zero order plates mounted on an annular glass frame. In this manner, a robust optic is available with the full optical properties of a true zero order waveplate. In addition to single components, we will gladly provide functional subunits according to your needs. For example, we can supply isolators comprising a quarter-waveplate and polarizing beamsplitter cube mounted together in a single drop-in unit. Visit our product page for more information on each waveplate. We look forward to your inquiry.

There are waveplates with spatially varying polarization properties, which are used within a laser resonator to reduce depolarization loss [9].

Applications span from polarization measurement and control, polarimetry, laser research, spectroscopy up to nonlinear optics.

Knight Optical offers a range of stock and custom waveplates. Our stock catalogue consists of zero and low order quartz waveplates, achromatic waveplates, mica retarders, and plastic retarders. With our custom capabilities we are able to offer a wider variety including multiple order waveplates.

Waveplates can also be realized based on an entirely different principle of operation: with photonic metasurfaces containing sub-wavelength gratings. These devices are also called diffractive waveplates [6]. They can have remarkable properties, e.g. very wideband operation.

Full waveretardation plate

Conventional zero-order, low-order and high-order waveplates for all standard wavelengths as well as customized designs and Fresnel rhombs are also available.

Full waveplate

The most common types of waveplates are quarter-wave plates (λ/4 plates) and half-wave plates (λ/2 plates), where the difference of phase delays between the two linear polarization directions is <$\pi /2$> or <$\pi$>, respectively, corresponding to propagation phase shifts over a distance of <$\lambda / 4$> or <$\lambda / 2$>, respectively.

Fresnel rhombs provide uniform λ/4 or λ/2 retardance over a wider range of wavelengths than possible with birefringent waveplates. Please visit our website for more information.

Retardation platepdf

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For some applications, it can be difficult to obtain a waveplate fulfilling all the requirements. Therefore, one sometimes has to use alternative methods, for example for turning the polarization direction of a laser beam. For example, a 90° rotation of polarization (and also the beam profile) can be obtained with a combination of three 45° mirrors, subsequently deflecting the beam to the right, then upwards and finally into the original direction.

WOP offers polarization converters which are exceptional for their ultra-high damage threshold, suitable even for high-power lasers.

Shanghai Optics manufacturers micro-waveplates as small as 0.35 mm × 0.35 mm with tolerance of ±0.05 mm and thickness about 0.19 mm. Please contact us for manufacturing limit or custom specifications.

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AURORA, by UltraFast Innovations (UFI®), is a phase retarder (quarter waveplate) with a four-mirror grazing incidence reflection geometry for the extreme ultraviolet (XUV). It covers the range from 10 to 35 eV or 40 to 85 eV photon energy and reaches >25% transmittivity around 66 eV. A clear aperture of 3 mm allows the low divergent XUV from a high-harmonic-generation HHG cell to pass through without clipping.

We offer a wide choice of zero-order, multiple-order and low-order waveplates made from crystalline quartz. Also, we have dual-wavelength waveplates for Ti:sapphire, Yb:KGW/KYW and Nd:YAG lasers, and achromatic waveplates for tunable lasers.

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